Wattled Guan vs Plain Chachalaca
Aburria aburri compared with Ortalis vetula
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Wattled Guan | Plain Chachalaca |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Aburria aburri | Ortalis vetula |
| Order | Galliformes | Galliformes |
| Family | Cracidae | Cracidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 67.4 cm (26.5 in) | 39.6 cm (15.6 in) |
| Weight | 1398.3333333333333 g (49.32 oz) | 559.3333333333334 g (19.73 oz) |
| Diet | Frugivorous; eats fruits, berries, and leaves in Andean cloud forests of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and … | Feeds primarily on fruits, berries, leaves, and flowers in scrub and forest edges. Also takes … |
| Clutch Size | -- | 2-4 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Wattled Guan
Emits a loud, resonant, booming honk and wing-whirring display. The deep, carrying boom echoes through Andean cloud forest; wing-whirring display is powerful and conspicuous.
Plain Chachalaca
Groups produce a raucous, rhythmic cha-cha-LAC chorus at dawn; individual calls are loud, raspy croaking notes. Flocks create a deafening cacophony in Texas brush country and Mexican deciduous forest.
Geographic Range & Migration
Wattled Guan
Resident in the Andes from Venezuela and Colombia south to Bolivia at 500-2,200 m. Found in humid montane forest.
Plain Chachalaca
Resident from southern Texas south through eastern Mexico and Central America to Costa Rica. Found in brushy woodland and forest edges.
Conservation Status
Wattled Guan
Plain Chachalaca
How to Tell Them Apart
Wattled Guan
Uniformly glossy greenish-black; prominent pendulous yellow-and-blue bare throat wattle; no white wing patches or streaking; legs dark grey. Striking yellow wattle is the sole bold adornment.
Plain Chachalaca
Olive-brown above with greenish gloss on wings; grey head; bare red throat skin; underparts pale olive-grey; tail long, dark greenish-brown with white-tipped outer feathers.
About These Birds
Wattled Guan
A large cracid (~1.4 kg) of family Cracidae, all-black with a distinctive yellow and blue wattle hanging from the throat. Inhabits montane cloud forests of the Andes from Venezuela and Colombia south to Peru, at 500–2,500 m elevation. Arboreal, feeding on fruits and seeds. Least Concern; inhabits remote Andean cloud forests where it remains relatively undisturbed.
Plain Chachalaca
A medium-sized cracid (~560 g) of family Cracidae, olive-brown with a bare red throat patch. Inhabits thickets, forest edges, and riparian woodlands from southern Texas through Mexico to Costa Rica. Social and noisy, roosting and foraging in groups on fruits, leaves, and seeds. Least Concern; extremely vocal at dawn with a raucous "cha-cha-lac" call.